Machines are widely employed to extract juices from oranges and other citrus fruits. The typical machine for extracting juices from citrus fruits includes a means for at least partly severing the fruit to expose the juice-containing pulp, and means for expressing the juices from the exposed pulp.
Examples of well known and effective juicing machines are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,311,565 dated Feb. 16, 1943 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,317 dated Feb. 24, 1953, both of which issued to T. G. Nelson. These patents show juicing machines having means for sequentially delivering oranges, grapefruits or the like to a blade means for cutting each generally spherical fruit in half. The generally hemispherical halves of each piece of fruit are then delivered to the vicinity of conical members, such that the freshly cut generally planar surfaces of the fruit are in register with the conical members. These hemispherical fruit sections are then urged over the conical members of the prior art machine, such that the juice contained in the pulp is expressed therefrom. These prior art machines then typically include means for collecting the expressed fruit juices and means for removing the remains of the fruit to permit the same procedures to be carried out on the next piece of fruit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,425 issued to Stewart C. Nelson on Oct. 30, 1984 and is assigned to the assignee of the subject invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,425 shows improvements relating to the blade for bisecting the pieces of citrus fruit and for delivering the bisected fruit to an elastomeric surface extending over the cones of the machine. More particularly, the cones which express the juices from the hemispherical sections of fruit are disposed in a generally rectangular collector tray, having opposed pairs of upwardly extending walls which substantially surround the cones. The elastomeric material onto which the hemispherical sections of fruit are delivered is stretched over two opposed walls of the collector tray and is mounted in face-to-face relationship to exterior portions of those opposed side walls. More particularly, this elastomeric surface extends and is stretched in a direction generally parallel to a line connecting the two cones, and generally perpendicular to the direction along which the hemispherical sections of fruit are delivered. The juicing apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,425 urges the hemispherical sections of fruit over the cones such that the elastomeric supporting surface temporarily conforms to the shapes of the cones and is disposed between the hemispherical sections of fruit and the cones. This elastomeric supporting surface further includes a plurality of parallel ribs which contribute to the expressing of the juice, and a plurality of apertures which permit the expressed juice to pass through the elastomeric supporting surface. When the juicing action is completed, the means for urging the hemispherical sections of fruit over the cones is withdrawn and the elastomeric supporting surface returns to substantially its initial shape enabling the remains of the fruit to be removed and enabling the next hemispherical sections of fruit to be properly positioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,418 dated Apr. 9, 1985 also issued to Stewart C. Nelson, and also is assigned to the assignee of the subject invention. The juicing machine shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,418 is functionally and structurally similar to the above described juicing machine. As with the previously described juicing machine, an elastomeric supporting surface for the cut fruit extends over the base in which the cones are mounted and is joined in face-to-face relationship with the outwardly facing surfaces of two opposed parallel walls of the base. Also, as with the previously described embodiment, the portions of the elastomeric supporting surface disposed outwardly from said base are aligned substantially perpendicular to the central portion of the elastomeric supporting surface. However, the elastomeric supporting surface of the juicing machine shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,418 extends and is stretched in a direction generally parallel to the direction of delivery of the fruit and generally orthogonal to a line extending between the two cones. As explained in the specification, this orientation of the elastomeric supporting surface prevents the pulp of the fruit and associated seeds from being deposited within the collector tray and clogging the drain therefrom. The disclosures of the above described patents are incorporated herein by reference.
The above described prior art offers many significant advantages. However, it has been observed that the elastomeric supporting surface on which the hemispherical sections of fruit are supported periodically wears through and requires replacement. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the failure of the elastomeric supporting surface typically initially occurs adjacent the top of one of the side walls of the collector tray over which the elastomeric supporting surface is stretched. More particularly, it was observed that with each operation of the prior art juicing machines, the stretching of the elastomeric supporting surface causes substantial friction between the elastomeric supporting surface and the top of the side wall over which the elastomeric material is stretched. This repeated frictional interaction eventually causes total failure of the elastomeric supporting surface in proximity to the friction, despite comparative lack of wear at other locations thereon.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a juicing apparatus with lower maintenance requirements.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a juicing machine with a cut fruit elastomeric supporting surface of substantially increased durability.
A further object of the subject invention is to provide a juicing machine with a cut fruit supporting surface that can be easily changed.
Still a further object of the subject invention is to provide a juicing machine with a low cost cut fruit elastomeric supporting surface that prevents fruit pulp and seeds from clogging the drain for the juices.